Jonathan Janz's Blog, page 7

WOLF LAND Howls!

It’s here, friends, my new horror novel.

WOLF LAND.

Unhinged

You can purchase the book in ebook, paperback, or audio formats.

Some quick facts for you:

This is my darkest novel.
That’s not to say it doesn’t have heart. It does.
But it’s extremely bloody.
Though I love the characters.
Well, most of them. One in particular makes me want to reach through the page to smack the smirk off his face.
The darkness isn’t limited to strewn body parts and exposed organs. The darkest stuff involves a character who rips my heart out. Her name is Melody.
I hope you read this book, as long as you know up front it’s not going to be cuddly or full of angst-ridden werewolves.
These beasts are ferocious.

Have a good day, friends. I hope you spend the night with my characters.

WOLF LAND Audio Sample (and Audiobook Cover Reveal)!

There’s something particularly odd about hearing someone else read your work aloud. You know how it sounded when you read it aloud several times through, but hearing a different voice read it, the person having a different background and none of the baggage you bring to the table, is just plain surreal. The reader/actor doesn’t know about the way you wanted that sentence to sound, doesn’t picture, probably, the same exact faces and bodies that you picture. He doesn’t know the story behind that anecdote, the inspiration for that particular line, or even the agony of indecision you went through with that word choice.

So when Fred Godsmark at Audio Realms Publishing sent me the first chapter of WOLF LAND the other day and confirmed that it would indeed be on sale on the novel’s release day (November 3rd!), I clicked on the sample with a tightening of the quadriceps and sinking of the stomach. Oh, I know Fred does great work, and I know he’d never hire a bad actor to read one of my books, but still…it’s my baby, you know? What if the guy doesn’t emphasize this line? What if he starts using all sorts of inappropriate patois for one of my characters?

Folks, I needn’t have worried.

The reader/actor David Stifel, who’s done work for several of my author friends, really nailed it. Or at least, he nailed the first chapter because that’s all I’ve heard so far. I suspect he nailed the rest of the book too.

The audiobook cover and the first chapter are available right here. I really, really dig this version. In fact, the scene with Glenn, Weezer, and Short Pump was cracking me up. I know how that makes me sound, but I’m really complimenting David’s rendition here, not my own writing. He interpreted it splendidly.

Unhinged

More cool stuff on the way, folks. The reviews for WOLF LAND are rolling in, and they’re extremely positive. I can’t wait for Tuesday, and I hope you all had a Happy Halloween!

WOLF LAND Coming in Eight Days…in THREE Different Formats!

You might know my new novel WOLF LAND releases on November 3rd. You might know that it’ll be available in both ebook and paperback forms.

Did you also know it will be available in audiobook on the same day?

*Rick Flair WOOOOOOOO!!!!!*

I mean, I don’t know who Ric Flair is. Because I never watched professional wrestling as a kid. And never screamed at the television whenever the Nature Bo—I mean, Ric Flair showed up and began ruining the day with his wooooo-ing and his double-crossing and his—

Sorry.

But in ten days WOLF LAND will go on your Kindle, in your hands, or inside your ears. Which means—

Did that sound gross? Like WOLF LAND is an animal that will somehow void its bladder on you? No?

Well, what if I told you the book was like that? Only instead of incontinence, it was prone to barbarity, to terrorizing the poor unsuspecting soul who picks it up? Would you still read the book?

You wouldn’t? Then it’s not. It’s very tractable. And housebroken.

Actually, it’s the opposite of that.

Unhinged

But I’m really pumped about the three editions of WOLF LAND, particularly the audiobook, which I didn’t even know was going to be ready until a few days ago when the awesome Fred Godsmark let me know it was almost finished.

It’s finished now. And coming to bite your face off on November 3rd.

Too aggressive?

*Sigh*

At any rate, it’s time for me to go. I turned in a completed novel to my editor yesterday. Going to work on another one tomorrow. I can’t wait!

THE HORROR SHOW and More WOLF LAND Raves

Hey, friends! My four-year-old fell asleep while I was reading to her (The Lorax, which I was worried would freak her out—apparently not!), and I’m blogging from her room since it’s the quietest place in the house.

On Thursday night’s kick-bootie edition of THE HORROR SHOW, Brian Keene and Dave Thomas were kind enough to discuss my eleven-book deal with Thunderstorm. I’ll let them speak for themselves (the Thunderstorm part begins around the nineteen-minute mark), but you should also know that they sat down with the wonderful Jeff Strand in the same show, which is all the more reason to head over there and take a listen. I mean, after you read the rest of this blog post, of course.

A big thank you to Brian and Dave for their positive words and support!

Jeff Strand and I

Secondly, Mark Justice over at the excellent POD OF HORROR podcast just released a teaser for his next episode. In this article you’ll hear Mark’s thoughts about my upcoming release WOLF LAND. In addition to calling the novel “a rich and rewarding reading experience,” he says this:

“This is Janz’s second outstanding novel of 2015 (the other being THE NIGHTMARE GIRL). Maybe I have baseball playoff fever, but I find myself comparing Janz to a power hitter, circling the bases after another deep ball.”

Being a baseball guy too, I appreciated that a great deal.

Pod of Horror

Lastly, the Horror Maiden was kind enough to review my werewolf novel. Here’s a glimpse of what she had to say…

“Some of the scenes in this novel were incredibly horrific and not for the faint of heart, but if you love your horror gritty and terrifying like I do you won’t be able to put it down. Jonathan Janz has created a realistic world and peopled it with characters that could be people you know then introduces a whole new werewolf legend to rip them to shreds. I highly recommend this relentlessly fast paced story. A hair raising 5 star read.”

Gotta run, friends. If you haven’t yet, you can pre-order WOLF LAND now.

The Fury Is Coming

Eleven-Book Deal with Thunderstorm Books

I am pleased and proud and delighted to announce that I have signed an eleven-book limited edition deal with the amazing Thunderstorm Books. If you’re not familiar with Thunderstorm, they’re the creator of some of the most gorgeous, unique, collectible limited editions in the book business (see the pictures below for samples of their wonderful work).

As if this weren’t enough, owner/editor Paul Goblirsch has decided to give me my own line.

There’s Brian Keene’s Maelstrom.

Bryan Smith’s Bitter Ale.

And now Jonathan Janz’s Shadow Side.

(There’s a typo on the site calling it Shadow Slim, which gives me a bit of a western vibe, but the line is actually called Jonathan Janz’s Shadow Side).

To say I’m honored is a massive understatement. I’ve been a fan of Thunderstorm for a long time and, honestly, have hoped that I’d have the opportunity to work with them at some point in my career. But to sign a deal like this…

It’s more than I had hoped for.

You can sign up for the books here. They promise to sell out quickly. The first title will be my debut novel THE SORROWS (featuring never-before-read scenes with special commentary).

Thank you so much, Paul, for investing so much faith and time in my work. Thank you also to Tod Clark and Kyle Lybeck for their support. And an extra-special thanks to Brian Keene. He knows why.

And thank you, friends, for reading my work. You all helped make this deal possible.

Horror After Dark Takes on WOLF LAND

Hey, friends. I’m currently multi-tasking. My eight-year-old daughter is trying to insinuate herself into a bunk-together night with Mommy and Daddy, and I’m explaining why she needs to sleep in her own bed. I think I’m going to win this one, but it’ll be a near thing.

Anywho, the very cool folks over at Horror After Dark (Paul, in this case, whose reviews I always enjoy) have kindly published a review of my upcoming novel WOLF LAND. I’ll let the review (mostly) speak for itself, but here’s a quick teaser:

“This is a wonderful werewolf novel that is savage in its intensity, and unforgiving in whom it dispatches.” 

Here’s the rest.

The Fury Is Coming

Gotta go grade papers. You all have a great night. I’m hoping my daughter is just about out of ammunition. She’s about to pull the, “But I’ll miss you guys tomorrow, and this will give me a chance to spent time with you tonight!” card.

Steeling myself…heading into the fray…wish me luck…

Michael McDowell’s THE ELEMENTALS

If Tennessee Williams wrote a supernatural horror novel, it would read like THE ELEMENTALS.

This statement isn’t completely true, of course; Michael McDowell was a fiercely unique author who wrote unlike any other. But some of the most fascinating aspects of Tennessee Williams’s plays are exhibited in this novel: atypical/dysfunctional familial relationships; unpleasant truths suppressed or left unspoken; horror-through-acquiescence; moments of shocking violence; manipulative, vicious matriarchs and patriarchs; and a seething, suffocating atmosphere (both thermally and emotionally).

The dialogue, especially, reminds me of Williams. Hearing McDowell’s Luker talk to his mother Big Barbara reminded me powerfully of Brick’s frustrating conversations with Big Daddy in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF. In one of Williams’s darkest plays—SUDDENLY, LAST SUMMER—there are moments that remind me a great deal of McDowell’s simmering novel.

Brick with Maggie the Cat

I guess I should mention that I love the plays of Tennessee Williams.

And man, did I love THE ELEMENTALS.

I read Michael McDowell back in my early twenties, and though I enjoyed COLD MOON OVER BABYLON and loved THE AMULET, I suspect I wasn’t seasoned enough yet as a reader to fully grasp what McDowell was doing. In THE ELEMENTALS, he immerses us completely in a world familiar-yet-alien, and in doing so he creates one of the best settings in horror fiction.

Beldame.

The trio of houses, the sifting white sands, the brackish lagoon, and the interminable Gulf comprise a living, breathing, sentient character, one so seductive and malefic that I found myself tightening whenever India (13) and her elder family members arrived there. I feared for them, found myself yearning for them to Just. Get. Out. And trembled with dread each time they ventured nearer the Third House.

Ah, the Third House.

It takes a lot to scare me. I read widely, but I read more horror than anything else. So while a story can still thrill me, move me, or entertain me, it’s a rare tale that can frighten me.

THE ELEMENTALS did.

There are scenes involving the Third House that had me checking under the bed for misshapen creatures, that had me triple-checking the locks of our house to make sure something…unnatural didn’t invade. Though you could often criticize these characters for their decisions and shake your head in frustration at their insistence on returning to the Third House, McDowell’s writing is expert enough–and vivid enough–to convince you to dismiss your inner critic and just suffer with the characters as they encounter one horror after another.

Read THE ELEMENTALS. Valancourt Books, one of my favorite publishers, has given McDowell’s work the attention it deserves, and in purchasing this novel, you’ll be supporting both an awesome writer and an outstanding company.

THE ELEMENTALS is without a doubt one of the best horror novels I’ve read this year, a tale that every horror reader should experience, and a story from which every horror writer can learn.

Michael McDowell

Publishers Weekly Sinks Its Claws into WOLF LAND

Howdy, friends! I’ll get right to it. Publishers Weekly posted a review of my upcoming novel WOLF LAND and called it a “gruesome yet entertaining gorefest” with “an impressive and bloody climax.”

The complete review can be found right here.

You can pre-order WOLF LAND here or wherever else books are sold.

Annnnd…

I’ll soon have some more cool announcements for you. One will come some time next week; another will happen on Halloween.

Take care, friends.

The Fury Is Coming

Future Novels, Settings, and a Word about SAVAGE SPECIES

Setting matters a lot to me and, I think, readers. A powerful sense of place is especially important in a story. If the reader feels like a part of the world on the page, it’s easier to get swept along with the characters and the plot.

I tend to utilize physical touchstones, actual locations that mirror the places where my books are set. Most of them are near my home in Indiana, but I have utilized other places to which my family and I have traveled. For example…

The Real Castle Blackwood (in Scotland)

My wife’s sister lives in Santa Rosa; therefore, my novel THE SORROWS (and its sequel CASTLE OF SORROWS) takes place partially in Santa Rosa (and mainly on an island off the coast of California).

We frequently travel to Chicago, so my novella EXORCIST ROAD and my May 2016 novel EXORCIST FALLS are both set in that fascinating city.

My Wife and Son at Wrigley Field

Over the past two summers, we’ve vacationed in Virginia for the amazing Scares That Care conventions, so after I finish up with my current works-in-progress (EXORCIST FALLS and THE DARK GAME), I’ll be writing a ghost story that takes place near the lovely and eerie Rappahannock River titled THE SIREN AND THE SPECTER.

Anywho…

The novel SAVAGE SPECIES (and part of its already-finished and soon-to-be-officially-announced prequel CHILDREN OF THE DARK) is set in a fictional state park called Peaceful Valley. Though I obviously take many liberties with it in my novels, there is a real inspiration for Peaceful Valley. It’s called Prophetstown State Park, and you can find it about fifteen minutes from my front door.

Mayhem

Soon I’ll be sharing some pictures of Prophetstown so you can see for yourself the playground that helped spawned the brutal action/horror sequence that takes place early in SAVAGE SPECIES, as well as a host of other locations that made their way into the novel.

That’s all for now. Gotta go edit EXORCIST FALLS…

Edward Lee Calls HOUSE OF SKIN “The Quintessential Haunted House Novel”

Edward Lee is a legend in horror, and if you’ve read his stuff lately, you’ll know he’s only getting better. I had the amazing opportunity to meet and talk to Mr. Lee at Scares That Care 2 in Williamsburg this summer, and it was absolutely thrilling to realize that he and I have similar taste in fiction. We’re both influenced by Lovecraft, and we’re both (especially) huge fans of M.R. James.

I’m also, of course, a huge fan of Edward Lee’s work too.

Then he bought one of my books.

I haven’t talked about HOUSE OF SKIN on the blog for a while, mainly because I’ve been too busy blazing new trails. It was, after all, the first book I ever wrote (though the second to be published), so when Mr. Lee chose to purchase it, I was awfully nervous. I love the book, but despite the fact that The Library Journal called it “reminiscent of Peter Straub’s GHOST STORY and Shirley Jackson’s THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE,” I’m always a little overprotective of the tale. You know, first-time parent and all…

Ghostly Horror

So when Mr. Lee emailed me and had this to say, I was beyond floored. I was basemented. Or catacombed. Or subterraneaned to the cosmic depths of Yog-Sothoth’s tenebrous lair.

“It’s the best of its kind I’ve read in years, such that I’d call it “The Quintessential Haunted House Novel.” You’ve taken the old school traditions of the form which readers want and then have injected modern style, characters, and macabre, hardedged mayhem into the guts of the story. THAT’S the way to do it, my friend!”

And yes, Mr. Lee gave me permission to share this.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go cartwheel around my writing room. And plan the M.R. James-inspired novel I’m soon going to write.

Edward Lee and I